The Taming of the Shrew
The taming of the shrew is one of the earliest comedies written by Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s personal life is unknown, and it isn’t easy to understand the real motive behind the play’s writing. It is assumed that the primary reason was to entertain his audience using the antagonistic antics of Katherina and Petruchio, especially by making the two wed at the finale. The play ends with Katharina’s submission to the will of her husband and becoming an ideal wife. Although she submitted to her husband, the film by Franco Zeffirelli (1967) suggests that she is only pretending to submit, and her submission is more of a façade. This play showcases an interest in gender roles and the relationship between men and women. It is, however, not is Shakespeare is promoting male domination or subverting it.
The production was directed and filmed by Franco Zeffirelli and the stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as Katharina and Petruchio. The audience somewhat received the film. The two stars were real-life husband and wife and the hottest celebrity couple of their time. The film was generally ill-received by the critics and did not yield the anticipated commercial success. The fact that Franco Zeffirelli was not an experienced producer at the time. The film, however, captured the original work, especially its humor and delicious sense of irony. The stylish design and the attractive location of photography make it one of Shakespeare’s most enjoyable and accessible film adaptations.
Shakespeare’s play is based on the traditional rule when women were expected to be submissive to their husbands. The Elizabethans had a clear stipulation of gender roles in society; women were expected to attend to the household’s domestic responsibilities and be mothers and housewives. Shakespeare, in his play, reinforces and confront the gender roles of Elizabethan England. Petruchio tamed Katherina and forced her into the usually submissive role of a wife. Shakespeare portrays Katherina and Bianca as opposites to manifest the extreme instance of women’s behavioral expectations and how men perceive defiant women would act.
The play was inspired by earlier writings such as A Merry Jest of a Shrewd and Curst Wife Lapped in Morel’s Skin, for Her Good Behavior, a long and famous ballad composed around 1550, which initiated a debate regarding the treatment of unruly women in the Renaissance England. Another story that inspired this play was A Merry Jest. This story features two sisters; their father favored the younger sister and sought after by gentlemen, while the older sister is shrewish and headstrong.
The taming of the shrew play has inspired numerous films and movies, which include; She’s the Man (2006), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Kiss me Kate (1953), Deliver Us From Eva (2003), to name but a few. Other films include; You Made Me Love you, Shakespeare: The Animated Tales, and second Best Bed.
Shakespeare’s work is still relevant today, especially the play The Taming of The Shrew. The book is continuously reproduced and remain relevant through controversy and conflict. The themes and the play’s interpretation are duplicated continuously in the new political climate despite its shortcomings and problems. The play’s themes, such as domestic abuse and female oppression, have made the play analyzed and interpreted in academics because it is still comparable with contemporary societal issues.